In Death's Hands
by drunk-on-disappointment
Summary: "...Close your eyes," she said as she grabbed her hand. Her eyes fluttered shut and Elsa desperately tried to stop the tears from falling down her face as she felt the warmth curl in her hand. A morbid tale about tragic love, with a supernatural element thrown in. Hospital AU, Elsanna, cancer warning, M for language/mature content in later chapters, some fluff, mostly angst
1. Cold Memories and Dark Futures

Chapter 1: Cold Memories and Dark Futures

* * *

She woke up to a pounding headache and the sun shining brightly in her eyes. With a groan she rolled over, only to be met with the slimy tongue of a certain German Shepherd. She tried to push him off of her bed and wrap up in her safe cocoon of blankets again. But Sven was persistent. After a few huge kisses on the face Elsa pushed the dog away and sat up. Sven immediately started to wag in tail, thumping it on the headboard with each swish. Elsa wiped the drool off of her face with mild annoyance.

"Well good morning to you too Sven." The dog only barked and wagged his tail harder. Elsa shook her head and got off of her bed, walking to the door with Sven at her heels. As soon as she opened her bedroom door, she was greeted with the sight of a shirtless Kristoff standing over the stove with a spatula in hand and a carton of eggs open on the counter.

Sven bounded over to his master and was greeted with a multitude of high-pitched greetings from the blonde man. Sven licked Kristoff's face several times before he stood up. "Morning Elsa," he said, flashing a grin. His smile quickly faded when he noticed the dark circles around her eyes. "Shit, you look horrible." He was greeted with a quiet "morning" from her as she poured fresh coffee into a mug, only a sharp glare indicating that she had heard his second statement.

"Rough night?" Kristoff asked after a few quiet moments, rubbing his neck uncomfortably. Elsa was so busy staring at the magnets of the fridge that she didn't realize he has said something until his third time repeating it, earning her a partly amused look from her friend and roommate. Elsa silently shook her head after snapping out of her trance and Kristoff's face became serious again.

"Usually Sven doesn't sleep with you unless he knows your going though a lot. Is it work again?" Elsa nodded and took a long sip of her coffee before answering.

"Of course it is. This week has been pretty bad. We've gotten a few new patients but that's nothing new. Just a lot has been building up. A lot of tension." Kristoff nodded in understanding as Elsa trailed off and turned the stove off before wrapping a muscular arm around her shoulders.

"Everything will be fine soon," he assured her and she nodded in reply. "Do you want me to drive you in? It's only 8:30 and my shift at the shelter doesn't start until 11 but I could just hang around for a bit. It won't bother me."

"No," Elsa said, unwrapping herself from his arm and putting her coffee mug in the sink, "I'll take the bus. I don't want you idling around for 2 hours. You should do something productive. And video games are not what most people consider productive." Kristoff pouted slightly, mumbling that he wasn't even thinking about turning his X-box on. Elsa felt her lips curve into a small smirk.

After pouting furiously for several moments, Kristoff merely shrugged and scratched Sven's furry head. "Alright but if you come home again and rant about how public transportation is horrible and disgusting, I'll eat all of the chocolate from your secret stash."

Elsa couldn't help but let the smile grow on her face. "If it's secret, then how do you know of it? How would you even find it?"

"I have my ways," Kristoff said smugly, crossing his arms while failing miserably at maintaining his composure. Elsa giggles behind her hand and shook her head as Kristoff turned around again to finish breakfast. She breathed in deeply, marveling how loose the air around her best friend was.

She didn't think it would be like that today as she walked off into the bathroom, the knots in her stomach growing tighter with every step.

* * *

Elsa always knew she was different. Her parents did as well. She was always reading, her nose buried in books of various length ever since she possessed the ability to string words together into sentences. While other kids played outside in the leaves, snow, and grass, Elsa would politely decline any invitation to join in and sat quietly with her books, simply wishing not to interact with the real world despite her parent's urgings.

There were things that were stranger, however. Her parents always wondered how her hair was so blonde, almost white in the light, or how her eyes were so blue, so clear and icy, while they themselves had green and brown eyes and dark hair. They always wondered why her skin was so cold, freezing to the touch. When she was little, they used to bundle her up with blanket after blanket to no avail and only succeeded in making her scream. The doctor had claimed that nothing was wrong, so they stopped thinking about it.

Elsa didn't realize just how different she was until she was six. She had never understanding the importance of appearance and therefore had not cared that her hair was the lightest in her class. Some of her classmates even found it cool, which was enough for the little first-grader to find no fault in the color. But she was six, as a present for her birthday, Elsa's parents had gotten her a pet of her own, a fish to be specific. She had gone with her parent to pick it out and had chosen a blue and green fish that had reminded her of the ocean and seaweed.

The fish had lasted three months. They typically live no longer with that, and Elsa had been so meticulous in the care for her pet - which she had named Sparkles at the time because in her mind that was the best name for any animal – that she had thought it would have lived longer. As the days towards its demise had grown closer, little Elsa had begun to feel something different around the fish, clouding up the air around the tank like the smoke of a cigarette.

The thick feeling in the air had grown each day and when Elsa had tugged her father over by the arm of his jacket to see if he could feel it he had only shook his head and messed up her hair while giving her a small smile, telling her she had nothing to worry about. Only days later, Elsa had found out that her father had lied to her.

She had walked right up to the tank after the school bus had dropped her off, only to find Sparkles swimming slowly throughout the water as if it were tar. The air around the tank had been overbearing and Elsa had found it hot and heavy to breathe in. Sweat had broken out on her cool forehead. She had felt it, in her chest, her head, her throat, her nose, her bones. Everywhere. Pressure, thick and strong.

She had reached her hand in the tank, standing on a small stool that she normally would've stood on to give her fish its food. Her cold hand had just barely grasped the fish's fin when a small zap traveled its way through her hand, followed by unnatural warmth. Elsa had jerked back, falling to the ground as the now dead fish floated to the top of the water, cradling her hot hand to her chest.

Elsa had cried that night, which worried her parents because she never cried, not even when she scraped her knee falling off of her bike or when one of her classmates had taken her cookie at lunch. Elsa had always been composed. But not that night. Of course, her parents had attributed it to the death of her first beloved pet, and when Elsa had tried to tell them what had really happened, they just shook their heads and said it wasn't her fault, it was never her fault, and her fish's death was natural.

So Elsa had let them get her ice cream to calm her down and eventually the tingling in her hand stopped. Only then did her tears dry.

Years past before she had felt the same tension in the air again. Not awkward social tension between two strangers or the delicate tension between two after a fight, but black, sickening tension. While Elsa had pushed her fish into the back of her mind, the incident that happened _involving_ her fish was always entering her steam of conscious.

She had begun to grow quieter as time went on. Every push her parent made had been waved off and eventually they had given up, saying at least it was good she was reading or doing her schoolwork. Ever since the day when she was six, she could feel the air and feel an awkward breeze through it. But never as strong as it was around the tank that day.

Until she was in fifth grade, at least.

She had been walking home from school, backpack zipped and bouncing slightly as she made her way home. She was halfway to her house when she felt it, choked on it. Her stomach had clenched and her throat had closed but her fingers had twitched towards it; a maddening itch had started to grow. So she had followed and soon came upon a cat, bloody and limp lying by the side of the road.

All of her natural instincts had told her to walk away, that it was dead anyway, and that there was no way she could save it. But she had kneeled by it anyway and watched its heavy breathing as it watched her with clouded eyes and bloody fur. It had growled when she reached her hand out and she only pulled back slightly before inching closer again. She felt like she had been pulled in by the aura around the wounded animal. Her head had been swimming in the fog of death.

As soon as her hand had touched the matted fur, the dying cat almost seemed to sigh. She had felt the familiar zap when the two made contact but she couldn't pull back, deep down she felt like she wouldn't pull back. Ever so slowly the cat's eyes had drooped and its body had relaxed while the tingly warmth laced itself around Elsa's hand, growing stronger until the cat's final breath. Only then did she pull back and managed to take a deep breath without gagging on the foul air around her. The air had felt clean and refreshing then.

Elsa had sat there for only a few seconds before jumping up, realizing what she had done. She clutched her warm, tingling hand to her chest as she ran home and washed the blood from her porcelain skin. When her parents had come home, Elsa had told them nothing, because she knew that they would just shake their head and ruffle her hair. So she hid it, from her friends, her parents, and for a while, herself.

It was when her parents were leaving for their second honeymoon that Elsa had realized not all would die by her hand. She could feel the pressure around her parents as she hugged them goodbye, clinging to them, practically begging them not to go and making up excuse after excuse as to why they shouldn't. They had only shook their heads and her father told her that they would be fine, telling Elsa his second and final lie to her. Elsa, a junior in high school, could only watch as their taxi drove them farther from her and she couldn't help but notice that the pressure in the air around her had lessened greatly, yet the knots in her stomach had only increased. It was then that she had fully realized that the dark cloud around them was death. Perhaps she had known that since her pet fish and she had simply denied it.

It was no surprise to her when she didn't cry once she had heard the news. Her aunt had wrapped her arms around her, a sobbing mess of her own, while Elsa had no more tears to shed. She had lain in bed the night her parents left, her mind replaying all of the different ways her parents could die. It had turned out her first guess had been right when her aunt wailed in her ear that their plane had crashed. Elsa had just sat on one of the plush chairs in the living room, guilt and hatred growing by the second. Because she had known. Because she could have stopped them if she had tried harder. Because she now thought of her ability as a curse, her dark secret, that she could no longer ignore.

That was why days like this were always hard for Elsa. They brought back painful memories of heartache. But she knew that she couldn't change the past, which was why she had enrolled in medical school and had gotten an internship at Weselton Hospital. Mr. Weselton, the owner of the hospital, had soon learned of her gift when she helped a victim of a nasty car crash, all while nurses and doctors gathered around her. She didn't plan to let them know at that very instant. Back than, she didn't really plan how she was going to let them know. A few times, she had told herself just to keep it a secret and only use it when she was able to without the scrutiny of any eyes. But that day Mr. Weselton had called her up to his office and had offered her a job once her internship was complete. This was the main reason as to why she was the youngest head doctor in the hospital. Skipping a few grades during elementary school also helped too.

She got off of the bus and made her way to the entrance of the small hospital, waving half-heartedly to the receptionist before taking the elevator up to level 5. The ride up seemed to take an eternity. Once she was up and the doors dinged open, Elsa walked down the hall to her left and left her belongings in her locker in the staff room.

She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her racing heart and she fiddled with the ends of her braid before stepping out to start her day. She was immediately greeted by Belle, who smiled politely while giving her a reassuring pat on the back before walking off into a patient's room. Belle was quiet like Elsa, but seemed to understand her the most. Therefore, on days like this, no words were really spoken between the two.

Her "talent" was known by all the staff and was the reason why she was put on this floor. It was the reason why she was here at all. But the hospital owner thought that Elsa would be good for the patients, especially the patients on level 5. They were the sickest people admitted to the hospital, most of them spending the rest of their days confined to their beds with the TV playing softly in the background. Their final tracks in their albums of life.

It was Elsa, or rather her ability that made most people chose to die in level 5 of Weselton Hospital. And why she hated and loved her job so much. While some people escaped her grasp (thankfully), most didn't and without her, most would die painful deaths. Not everyone is lucky to die in peaceful slumber. With Elsa's touch, they could. No pain, just peace.

The air grew heavier as she walked down the hall. Hands shaking slightly, she turned the knob of the first door to her left and shut it quietly behind her. She had been greeted with the same sight for weeks and today was no exception. An older man named Kai was sitting on the white bed next to his wife Gerda, holding her frail hand tightly in both of his. As much as this position pained Elsa, it pained her even more that it would end today.

The air had the same swampy thickness as the air that had surrounded her fish, the cat, her parents, and all of her previous patients, some of whom had slept in that very bed. Elsa always knew when it was time; she could feel it, in her bones, her stomach, her head, her heart. Most cases it is just a waiting game for the family of the soon-to-be-dead. Only Elsa and the dying knew when the time was right. There is a certain silent agreement beforehand and she knew Gerda had prepared herself to die today.

The older woman was whispering words of comfort to her husband as Elsa walked over. Kai had tears in his eyes as he turned around, but Gerda only offered her a smile and gripped Kai's hands tighter. Even when you accept death, you never fully do so.

Elsa sat down in the chair besides the bed and patted the woman's hand softly. Few words were spoken, none typically are. Even though Elsa never developed a strong connection with her patients, even the ones that make it out, she was still fearful of choking.

She stayed silent, allowing Kai ample amounts of time to leave if he wanted to. She knew that he wouldn't. After a few quiet moments, the pressure started to become unbearable. She patted Kai's shoulder somewhat awkwardly, trying to comfort him while letting him know it was time. He nodded and kissed his wife's hand before kissing her forehead, lingering before leaning back and nodding to Elsa. Elsa turned to Gerda.

"Relax," Elsa said softly, barely audible above the steady beeping of the monitors. The older woman leaned back into her pillows and her shoulders slump slowly. Elsa gently gripped the woman's free hand in both of her own. She felt the zap and warmth spread through her hands. Slowly, Elsa watched as Gerda's face relaxed, the pain slowly dissolving into white nothingness. Gerda's hand became more limp and cold as the warmth in Elsa's hands grew. She could hear Kai softly crying besides her as the older woman took her last breath and the beeping ceased to exist.

Elsa shook her hands and breathed in the cleaned air around her. Some of the other nurses were standing outside the door, as they have been the past few days. They had been at the doors every time Elsa walked in this room because they all knew the time was soon. Once Elsa stood up, the opened the door and they took over, letting Elsa escape. They had always done this, knowing that she needed time to compose herself.

However, they never knew that that task was almost impossible.

* * *

**So this is my first Frozen fanfic, not to mention my first Elsanna fanfic.** **I haven't written a story in years (usually all I write are formal essays nowadays) but I couldn't get this idea out of my head. And then it's all I can think about, which is absolutely horrible because I have my AP English and Ap History tests coming up in about a week, so expect this to be the only update for a while. Anyway, I figure that there are a bunch of errors in this because I really suck at grammar and the English language in general (God knows why I'm in AP English). Any help with grammar and and input is greatly appreciated. If people find enough mistakes in this then perhaps I will go back through once I have time. I'll be free soon enough. I should probably stop rambling now and if you are still reading this at this point, I wish to thank you! Until next time!**


	2. Freckles and Desperation

Chapter 2: Freckles and Desperation

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She had been on the roof for a while, not knowing the exact time, only knowing that she was taking longer than usual. Her breathing had slowed considerably, yet she knew the pain in her chest hadn't been from her escape up several flights of stairs.

A soft breeze blew through her hair, ruffling it like her father used to do to comfort her. Perhaps he was the wind now. Maybe everyone turned into the wind, free to travel around as they pleased.

Her hand had lost its warmth and the tingling had died down. Now it was completely gone and her hand was back to its normal bone-chilling temperature. Elsa sighed deeply and ran a hand through her bangs, pushing a few loose locks back into their appropriate position. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and leaned heavily against the railing, icy eyes following the lines of cars on the streets below. Sirens sounded in her ear and she wondered if she would visit the roof again today.

It wasn't like this had never happened before. No, she had done this plenty of times but as each times passed, she found it harder to do it again. The pressure in her chest would only loosen slightly after everything was over and even though the harsh black air of death no longer lingered, she still found it hard to breathe.

Yet she suffered in silence, not even letting her best friend knew how badly she was affected. It was her job, her duty. Her aunt had once said to her that people were born with gifts for a reason. She had said that God only gave people things He thought they could handle.

Maybe that was why she no longer believed in a God.

It wasn't that she thought people didn't care or wouldn't believe her - she had proven her ability numerous times, enough for that to be nearly impossible. She knew people worried about her but she couldn't stand their sympathy. They would never understand completely.

People knew she could, as Kristoff had first put it when she had first told him, "suck out the life of people." When she had told Kristoff she could feel death and life on people, just like some can sense good or bad auras around others, he had been, for lack of better words "mind-fucked." Both bits of information about Elsa had left him with wide-eyes and a hanging jaw. She had been terrified he would run off then – she had been used to people not believing her - but he had wrapped her in the tightest hug of her life, saying that he would help her through as much as he could.

Normal people don't like to be reminded of death. They don't want to know that they are going to die. They deny it and fight against it. Elsa was the exact opposite. She had to accept it. Well, she already knew she wasn't normal. She supposed Kristoff accepted death too, and she definitely knew he wasn't normal either.

Elsa rubbed her burning eyes with the heel of her hand and stood up from her position. She smoothed out invisible wrinkles on her clothes and walked back down the flights of stairs to level 5, taking her time. She had been in such a rush to get up here that she didn't want to hurry to get back. She could actually breathe up here.

She turned the corner once she reached her level and almost bumped into Ariel, who had been wheeling a cart full of towels and spare clothing. The redhead immediately smiled at the blonde.

"Hey Elsa. Are you okay?" Elsa nodded and gave her friend a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, just needed a break."

"You could always take the rest of the day off, you know. I knew Eugene and plenty of other doctors would take…" she stopped when Elsa started to shake her head quickly at the nurse.

"No, no, it's okay. I'm fine now, just needed some time. Was everything taken care of?" Ariel nodded in affirmation. "Okay, thank you." Ariel nodded once again and gave her a smile, flashing her white teeth before pushing the cart past Elsa and making her way into one of the rooms. She walked with a slight limp, the only sign that she had a prosthetic leg.

Elsa had met Ariel in college in one of their biology classes; she had been attracted to her fierce and naturally curious personality. She had quickly learned that her disability was the reason why she was interested in medicine. It also helped to have a father who used to be a surgeon, but he had retired a year before Elsa came to the hospital. Ariel had lost her leg at a young age in a car accident and had only gotten her prosthetic while she was in high school. When Elsa first heard the story, she had admired the girl's persistence during her therapy. She had only been slightly disappointed to find out that she had a boyfriend. Not like she would ever let herself have her, or anyone for that matter.

Elsa smoothed her uniform again and rubbed her hands together before starting to complete her rounds, folders underneath her arms as she spoke with each patient. Gerda had been the sickest patient, so the air around the remaining occupants was only at various states of thickness, nothing to serious.

She had been closing the door of her fifth patient of the day when crashed were heard from down the hall. Noting which rooms she had yet to visit, Elsa made her way towards the commotion while a few of her fellow employees did the same.

They were greeted with two bickering redheads at the elevators, bags scattered across the floor as the two started to gather all of their belongings. The nurse that was with them, Jasmine, had already picked up a rather heavy looking suitcase. By the time Elsa and the other doctors and nurses of the level got to the mess, a young man with prominent sideburns had already cleaned things up, a look of annoyance on his sharp features.

A giggling redhead with short red hair that fell into her eyes and an oxygen tank in one of her hands only poked the man in his side, almost making his drop the bags again. "Cut it out Anna," the man hissed. Elsa thought she saw a small gleam of something in his eyes. Before she could identify it, Jasmine had started to lead the pair away and towards an empty room at the end of the hall, giving Elsa a nod as she passed. Everyone dispersed then, leaving only Elsa standing in front of the elevator.

Elsa made her way to the desk, thanking the secretary Ursula when she was handed the redhead's files. She flipped through them quickly, eager to get her meet-and-greet with the new girl over with so she could complete her rounds. Meeting with new patients was always her least favorite part.

At the top of the file, Anna Summerfield was printed in large, bold text along with a picture, her age, various medications and ailments, family, emergency contacts, and other miscellaneous things typed neatly underneath. Elsa was mildly surprised when she found that Anna was only three years younger than her. She had looked 18 at most.

She shook her head and made her way towards the new patient's door, flipping the folder shut. Jasmine had set the suitcase of the bed and had offered to help, only to be waved off by the sideburn man, or as the file read: Hans, Anna's brother. Elsa stepped aside to let the nurse pass and then made her way inside. The girl was walking around the room, talking very energetically about how she wanted to decorate it. The man only grunted as he put the rest of her things down, telling her to relax.

It wasn't until Elsa was close to the bed that the two noticed her. Anna saw her first. She smiled brightly, tucking an invisible strand of hair behind her ear (Elsa labeled it as a nervous tick) as the tubes in her nose tickled her face. She gave an awkward laugh and set her tank down besides her, rubbing her neck.

"Sorry, I get excited a lot and then when I get excited I tend to ramble. I also ramble when I'm nervous, like now, and…oh! I didn't even introduce myself! I'm Anna and this big oaf is my brother, Hans." Anna glanced down at the folder in Elsa's hand, smacking her head lightly. "Of course you know my name. You probably reviewed my files or something." She finished off with a laugh. Elsa could only stare at her for a few moments, marveling at the speed in which Anna spoke, before remembering her job.

"I did have time to review your files but it's a pleasure to meet both of you. I'm the head doctor in this section, Dr. Arendelle. But you can call be Elsa. Everyone does." Despite her commanding and neutral tone, Anna just beamed and ignored her lack of friendly social skills while Hans fiddled with one of Anna's bags, seemingly not paying attention. Elsa's job never usually forced her into socializing with her patients to an extreme extent and she would only speak a few words to them as she made her daily rounds.

Hans turned and shook her hand politely after she had introduced herself. He glared at Anna until she did the same, earning a small smile from the blonde doctor. Elsa couldn't help but notice how warm Anna's hands were, how soft they were compared to her brothers, who's were calloused and clammy. With Anna standing so close to her, she could see the multiple clusters of freckles on her face and neck, disappearing under her baggy graphic t-shirt.

Anna was wearing simple skinny jeans and her shirt had a giant graphic of the Tardis with the words "Doctor Who" in white letters underneath. On her head was a dark blue beanie that caused the uncovered pieces of hair to stick out slightly. Hans wore more appropriate work attire: a button-down blue shirt with a lighter blue tie to match and dress pants. Elsa could only guess that he worked for some type of company and that he probably had work later on. Hans had far fewer freckles than his sister, visible if only standing a few feet away - much like Elsa herself - and his hair was neatly combed through, unlike Anna who looked like she didn't bother to brush her hair before shoving her hat on her head.

She dropped Anna's hand after a few shakes, missing the warmth, and nodded towards the bed, now messy and twisted from having bags thrown upon it. "I'll let you unpack. Some of the nurses should be by in case you need anything. If you need me, feel free to tell one of the nurses." Anna and Hans both nodded, Anna smiling widely while Hans kept a stern composure.

"I'll be back to check on you once you've settled in," Elsa said before turning and walking towards the door, her white coat billowing out behind her. She was about to close the door when Hans slipped his hand through, almost causing her to shut his fingers. Elsa quickly stepped back and let Hans into the hallway, giving him ample amount of room to close the door behind him softly.

"Oh! I'm sorry Mr. Summerfield," Elsa apologized, blushing slightly. Before she could continue the man cut her off.

"Just Hans, if you will. It only seems appropriate." Elsa nodded in return.

The two stood in the hallway outside of Anna's room quietly for a few moments before Hans spoke. There was awkward tension between the two but the air wrapped around Hans was clean and loose. Hans looked to be around Elsa's age, perhaps a few years older, and she knew that he had a long life ahead of him.

"Elsa," Hans started and Elsa's eyes met his green ones.

"I know most people who choose to come here know of what you can do and they are admitted here because they are prepared to die." Hans voice was low, as if Anna had her ear pressed up against the door, but he was blunt and his gaze was strong. None of what he was saying was new to her. People who can here typically knew they were dying and accepted that fact, or they would soon accept it. That was why she was hired, because people wanted to come here instead of a "normal" hospital. Mr. Weselton was greedy in that way.

Elsa just nodded and allowed him to continue.

Hans swallowed hard. "Anna can't find out." His voice was rough and Elsa fought against a growing bubble of irritation.

"She never wanted to come back to a hospital again, but then we found out the cancer was back and she started to get worse again and…" he paused and took a deep breath, his voice guarded and his posture tense. When he spoke again, his voice was softer, almost a whisper.

"I know she doesn't look sick but she is. I don't think she's admitting it to herself just yet but she's gotten worse over the past few weeks. I don't think she expected the cancer to come back. I didn't either, really," he spoke slowly, his voice thick and his eyes down, "but she's fought against it before and I know she can do it again." He stood up straighter at that, almost challenging her to disagree.

As quickly as it came, his confidence left and his shoulder's slumped again. "Plenty of people make it out of here," he muttered, almost as if he was reassuring himself.

Elsa hid her wince, knowing that the number of people who left here alive was very insignificant compared to the people who didn't. But she gave Hans a smile and put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it slightly. The stern man from the elevator was gone, his shell peeled away, leaving a broken brother.

"There are plenty of people who make surprising recoveries," she said. "Just because you are admitted to this level doesn't mean you automatically die." She winced, visibly this time, at how harsh her words sounded. She quickly recovered.

"It all depends on the treatments and there are many different kinds we can try." She looked Hans in the eyes, feeling her stomach clench uncomfortable. She recalled back to Anna's files.

"Anna is going to get the best help she can get. We're going to get her started on radiation therapy and chemotherapy immediately. I assure you everything will be fine. And I won't let Anna know what I can do, okay?"

Whatever irritation Elsa had felt before was completely gone. She watched Hans as he smiled and straightened up, thanking her before turning around and walking back into the room to help Anna unpack and most likely fill her walls with random pictures of puppies and kittens. She could hear them from the hallway: Anna loudly telling Hans that he was putting the wrong picture up above the dresser and then that she could unpack her own underwear.

Elsa found herself smiling. Most people didn't bother to decorate. But she quickly stopped herself, erasing the small grin from her face. She wouldn't get attached to Anna or her bubbly personality, even though it was so refreshing; people who were on this level acted like they were already dead. Elsa couldn't help but feel warmth spread through her chest, loosening some of the knots, as she recalled how the air was around Anna wasn't as dark and heavy as the other patients.

She desperately hoped what she had told Hans was true yet she knew she had always lied to herself, lied to others.

But maybe Anna was going to be one of the lucky ones that left the hospital not in a casket.

Elsa wouldn't let herself hope too much. She had learned not to allow herself that pleasure. Because in most cases, people wouldn't escape her touch.

* * *

**Sooo, I lied. I was able to squeeze this chapter out. Unfortunately, this means that I am behind on my studying and as much as I would like to continue to procrastinate, I really should be reading about Industrialization or the Progressive Era for my history exam. I also want to make this clear: I will not be digressing too much into Anna's treatment, because 1) I have no clue about anything medical related, 2) I don't want to write a half-assed attempt by pretending I am skilled in areas of medicine, and 3) I don't really trust anything on the Internet, nor do I know anyone with any personal experiences. I will inform you that Anna does have a type of thyroid cancer, which (and I'm trusting the Internet here) can be treated with radiation, chemo, surgery to remove the tumor, etc. I also read that the cancer can spread to other organs, including the lungs, the trachea, the larynx, lymph nodes, etc. But for the sake of the story I won't go into full details. Also, this story won't (as of right now at least) include any issues with a doctor and patient relationship, simply because that is not the main focus of the story and I wouldn't know the penalties (if there are any). I'd like to thank everyone who has followed and/or ****favorited (is that even a word?) this story. In all honesty, I doing this out of pure enjoyment for myself and never really expected others to find this mildly entertaining. Hopefully, I won't disappoint you but, hey, life is full of disappointment sometimes. And now I see that this took a HUGE turn in tone and that I'm rambling so, until next time!**


	3. Candy Land

Chapter 3: Candy Land

**I always forget to add this but, obviously, I don't own Frozen, only multiple pieces of merchandise. **

* * *

"So what's with this new girl I've been hearing about?" Elsa looked up from her half-eaten sandwich to see Kristoff stuffing a handful of fries in his face, eying her curiously. Elsa shrugged, sun beating down on her back. The warmth was greatly accepted, wrapping around her cold skin. It was the only warmth she craved.

"Just some new patient. Her name's Anna. I swear, she's the liveliest person in that hospital. I constantly leave with a headache. I don't understand where she get it but it's nice." Elsa paused and lowered her sandwich with furrowed brows. "How did you hear about her?"

It was Kristoff's turn to shrug. He swallowed his food audibly before answering. "Belle and I were talking a few days ago when I came to pick you up. Apparently, she's the talk of the hospital. Not many people find her dislikeable."

Elsa just nodded. "She is very sweet. So is her brother, but he just doesn't show it as much." Kristoff swiped a fry off of his plate and pushed it towards Sven's nose, which was, coincidentally, right on his leg. Sven took it happily, his tail thumping against Elsa's chair as he licked Kristoff's fingers. Elsa wrinkles her nose.

Kristoff, not bothering to wipe his hands clean of Sven's slobber, took a large bite of his messy burger. "This Anna girl doesn't sound sick."

"She doesn't act sick that much," Elsa replied.

"Do you feel…you know," Kristoff waved his hand around in the air. Elsa sighed.

"Obviously I feel something, but usually patients who are admitted to that section of the hospital have a thicker air around them. She doesn't, but her brother told me that she was slowly starting to get worse again. Apparently, she had gone into remission her sophomore year of college and it's back now. But Hans told me that she's there as just a precaution." Deep down, Elsa figured that Hans believed Anna wouldn't go back into remission a second time but she didn't possess the power to see that far ahead into the future. She could only focus on the present and work from there.

"What does she have?" Elsa sipped her water.

"Thyroid cancer. It spread to her lungs before it went into remission but it's been controlled up until now."

"Shit, how serious is it?"

"Nothing to bad now. There are plenty in there who have it much worse but surgery is always an option is the tumor starts to grow more. Her treatment started yesterday so hopefully it works."

"You should get to know her. I'm sure she needs a girlfriend right now." Elsa glared at him. He quickly shook his head and waved his hands back and forth. "Not like that! Fuck man, relax."

Elsa only glared at him harder. Kristoff, being her best friend, of course knew that she wasn't interested in men, having learned the hard why when he had asked her out their first year of college. Since then, he had always tried to set her up with various girls, none of them working out. She eventually told him that she wasn't looking for a relationship and he stopped pushing her.

Elsa never blamed the other girls. They were all wonderful. No, she blamed herself. In all honestly, she was terrified of letting people in, of letting herself get attached when she knew she would be able to feel their life slowly decay before her eyes. It had taken months before she had even considered Kristoff an acquaintance and even longer for her to consider him a friend and forever for her to agree for them to move in with each other. Kristoff had simply told her she needed someone to understand and she had accepted.

She accepted that fact that people died too, but she couldn't accept the fact of waking up with someone besides her while the air thickened everyday. At least in the hospital, the air thickened much faster.

Elsa just shook her head. "She's nice, Kris, but you know how I feel about that stuff." Kristoff merely shrugged again and shoved the rest of his burger in his mouth.

"Still, you never know…" Kristoff said with a lopsided grin. Elsa smacked him on the back of his head, earning more curses from the blonde man. Elsa simply shot him a deadly glare before speaking.

"What time is your shift over at the animal shelter tonight?"

"Mmmm…I think I get off at 7. When do you get off?"

"I work late the rest of the week. I'll probably be home by 8 if everything goes how it should." Kristoff nodded and cleaned up his mess on the table.

"Then I can pick you up tonight. I'll get a pizza and we can watch a movie or something," he said, taking a large gulp of soda.

Elsa laughed. "What is it with you and home-cooked meals?"

"I'm lazy."

"Evidently." Elsa looked down at her watched and quickly wiped her mouth before standing. Kristoff followed her lead and they threw out their trash. Sven followed at Kristoff's heels as they walked away from the small café, which was located between both of their work places, making it easy to meet up during their breaks. Kristoff gave her a quick hug and a wave before turning and walking the opposite direction. Sven left her with a lick on her hand.

Elsa walked quickly back to the hospital, the journey taking less than 10 minutes. She was slightly early so she took her time towards the elevator and slowly put her belongings back into her locker.

As she walked out, she heard loud giggling coming from her right. There was a small playroom at the end of the hall, something that was never really used. Most of the patients here were older and/or too weak to get out of bed. But as Elsa drew closer to the sound, she was greeted with the sight of Anna and a small boy named Olaf, the youngest on this level.

Olaf was clutching a small, white bunny to his chest. Elsa thought that he had named him Marshmallow but wasn't entirely sure. He was sitting in one of the small, plastic chairs besides a coloring table facing Anna, who was standing in front of him in a ridiculous position: one hands in the air, standing on her right foot while her other hand held her left foot in the air behind her with her head back and tongue out.

Elsa couldn't help but laugh at the pair and she desperately tried to muffle the sound of her amusement behind her hand. Anna and Olaf both turned towards her. The redhead's face immediately blushed bright red while she quickly returned to her normal position. Elsa couldn't help but think her blush was adorable.

"HA! I win! I didn't tell you to move!" Olaf screamed in delight, giggling happily. His bald head was covered by Anna's blue beanie and his buckteeth were visible as he smiled. He had once been a chubby child but the tumor in his brain had caused him to become frail and thin with his head slightly bigger than the rest of his body. Elsa was somewhat surprised to see him out of bed, let alone laughing and screaming; she could tell he was getting worse (anyone could) and he was usually confined to his bed.

She would be lying if she didn't think his playfulness was refreshing.

And Anna was the cause.

Anna pouted and stomped her foot childishly. "Aww come on! Elsa distracted me!" She motioned towards the blonde doctor. Even though the two hadn't spoke to any extent, Anna had insisted that they called each other by their first named and Elsa had found it hard to say no. Just like she found it hard to stop the words from tumbling uncontrollably from her mouth, surprising herself at how easy it was to talk to Anna.

Elsa had never been much of a talker. The more she started to discover her hidden abilities, the less she had said. Her powers had slowly gotten stronger and had become a common occurrence right before her parents had died. Now she couldn't stand in line at a coffee shop without feeling life and death wrapping their bodies around all of the occupants around her.

But Elsa had grown to get used to the constant presence. In college, she had told herself that she could handle everything as long as she never let others in, as well as never letting herself out. Obviously, that plan never worked out and she had broken her most important rule when she had met Kristoff.

She still felt slight regret. She was in too deep in that relationship already and she preferred to stay away from deeper waters.

That was why her conscious was silently screaming at her as she played along with Anna's game.

"And what exactly was I distracting you from, Anna?"

Anna scoffed. "We were only in, like, the biggest battle of 'Simon Says!' I was so totally going to win too."

"Well, I'm sorry I was the cause of your defeat. Perhaps you should go back to your rooms and rest for a bit."

"Nah, my room's boring. Isn't your room boring, Olaf?" The small boy smiled and nodded. "See, this is so much better," Anna said, gesturing around the playroom, almost kicking her oxygen tank over as she spun around in a circle.

"Olaf wanted to play and we got the all-clear from Belle. She's been checking up on us but she said that as long as I'm with Olaf she wouldn't worry too much. And don't worry doc…we aren't doing anything too strenuous."

Elsa quirked an eyebrow and leaned against the wall, arms crossed over her chest. "I don't know, Miss Summerfield," she started, still playing along with Anna, "that position you were previously in looked like quite a work-out."

Elsa almost slapped herself in the face when she realized how provocative she had sounded. Anna just blushed slightly and scrunched up her shoulders.

"Then how about we play something less intense?" She said. Her voice was higher than usual as she sat down on one of the small chairs rather awkwardly and put a game on the table with a shy smile.

"Candy land?" Elsa laughed. Anna laughed back, relaxing her posture.

"It's my favorite game. You can't beat candy. Chocolate is the best thing ever!" Olaf chortled and Elsa found it hard to not laugh at the girl. Only then did she realize the chocolate wrappers wrinkled on the table in front of them, but she decided not to ask where Anna had gotten them from.

"Are you actually 23? Because I feel like you're 5."

"I have the heart and mental capacity of a young child," Anna replied. She patted a spare seat behind her, her blue eyes twinkling. Elsa just shook her head.

"No, I should probably get back to work." Anna pouted and crossed her arms. She and Elsa started each other down and soon Olaf joined in, starting at Elsa intensely, although he didn't look quite as serious with a giant smile on his face. After a few minutes Elsa sighed and slumped her shoulders in defeat.

"Fine. One game," she said, emphasizing the word 'one.' Anna just beamed and hugged the blonde tightly when the doctor sat down. Olaf did the same right after Anna. Elsa stiffened at the contact and Anna tucked an invisible strand of hair behind her ear after she pulled away, shaking her head slightly, which caused her short hair to move back and forth.

"Sorry," she laughed nervously, "both of us just really like warm hugs."

And Elsa couldn't help but smile softly as her stomach fluttered. She found that she couldn't take her eyes off of Anna throughout the entire game.

* * *

Elsa lay on her stomach. For once, she had the bed to herself and felt no guilt for leaving Sven outside her door. Kristoff would let him in his room eventually. The distant sound of some shooting game (she didn't give a shit about video games) squeezed its way through the cracks of her door and floated around her head. She buried her head in her pillow but found she didn't have the strength to get up and tell him to go to bed. He didn't have work tomorrow anyway. Unfortunately, she did.

Elsa lifted her head just enough to glance at her digital clock, its red digits telling her that it was well past midnight.

_Fantastic. And I have to be up by 7 tomorrow._

She groaned and rolled over in her dark room, throwing an arm over her face, the thought of endless freckles corrupting her mind. She was always used to insomnia, but it had been especially horrible this week. And tonight, she felt like she wouldn't get any sleep at all.

Her legs were hopelessly tangled in her blankets as she struggled to get out of her bed, almost falling face first onto the floor. She caught herself on the edge of her night table and only ended up knocking over a picture of her and her parents.

Once she regained her balance she placed the picture back in its place. Elsa sighed heavily and ran a hand through her messy hair. She had taken in out of its braid tonight and she knew she would pay for it with all of the tangles in the morning. Her relentless tossing and turning hadn't helped the matter much either.

She padded quietly over to an opened window, breathing in the late summer air. The temperature had already taken a dive in the past few weeks and it would only get colder. Elsa found that she would miss it, the warmth. Yet she also welcomed the cold, the pure serenity of winter, because it matched her perfectly. The snow was scared of warmth. It was no match for it.

A light breeze ruffled her white curtains and from the view of her apartment building she could see the distant lights of the hospital. Of course, that only brought Elsa's thoughts back to the feisty redhead.

It had been a week since Anna's admittance and despite Elsa's terse conversations with the girl, she found herself liking her more and more as time went on. When she had told Kristoff of her encounter with her and Olaf that afternoon, he had only smirked as Elsa went on and on about the redhead. Eventually, Elsa stopped, blushing, when she had started to describe Anna's freckles and had punched her friend's arm when he started to sing about 'Elsa-and-Anna-sitting-in-a-tree.'

Elsa's nights had been filled with thoughts of the redhead ever since she had come to the hospital and her mind was extra descriptive tonight. Her thoughts briefly wandered to Anna's lips, which had looked so soft as she excitedly instructed Elsa in the rules of Candy Land, and Elsa couldn't help but think of how they would feel against her own.

_No. Don't think. Don't feel. _

She flopped back onto her bed and buried her head in her pillow again. She wouldn't, couldn't let herself like Anna. Not in that way. Not in any way. She needed to guard her heart, conceal it behind iron bars.

Anna's hands had been so warm; her hug had been so strong. She wondered what Anna would feel like curled up against her, watching snow fall silently with a cup of steaming hot chocolate in her hands because Anna loved chocolate _so much_ and her mouth would taste _so much_ like chocolate.

Elsa groaned again.

Suddenly, Elsa couldn't think about taking that warmth from her, feeling the warmth curl around her tingling hand. She couldn't think about Anna being as cold as she normally was. Tears pricked in her eyes and Elsa felt the pressure in her chest and throat. A choked sob escaped.

The sound of gunfire mixed with the sound of Sven scratching and whining at her door as she let her pillow catch all of her tears.

* * *

**I should really stop writing for today but I can't (I will forever read that phrase in Elsa's voice). Oh well, everyone's asleep so I might as well stay up late and dick around. Hope you enjoy!**


	4. Night-time Art Classes

Chapter 4: Night-time Art Classes

**Just a little note: Updates won't be as fast from this point on. While my testing will be over, I already had the bones of these chapters written, and it was fairly easy to edit and add things where I thought it was necessary.**

* * *

Elsa was usually never around when it was this quiet.

Most of the lights in this section were off in the rooms with an occasional night owl here and there. Mid-October rain splattered against the windows at a constant pace and Elsa sat, staring at the raindrops as they raced each other to the bottom of the glass. A book (_The Bell Jar _by Sylvia Plath to be specific, given to her by Belle during her first week at the hospital) lay open before her, battered and dog-eared from years of use. It was always one of Elsa's favorite but tonight she found the rain to be more interesting.

Her coffee had gone cold before her, the cup only half empty. She sat at the receptionist desk on level 5, her head leaning against her open hand. A few nurses were still around, either on this level or another, checking on the occasional patient while thunder roared over their heads.

Elsa never usually worked the night shift. She had done it before, of course, but she was more used to the hustle-and-bustle of the day. The only reason why she was here was because a certain Doctor Eugene Fitzherbert wasn't.

He had called out a few days ago. While he and Elsa were friends, they were only work friends and never talked much outside of the white walls of the hospital. Plus, he typically worked down a few levels. But when he had approached Elsa a few days ago, talking about a trip he would be taking with his girlfriend – Elsa never bothered to remember her name – and he had showed her the ring he was going to give her, Elsa couldn't _not _offer to take over his shifts.

She had split them with a few other doctors and had spent more time away from level 5 then she had in months, which was not completely welcomed because that meant she couldn't secretly watch Anna play with Olaf on her break or visit her a few extra times during her rounds in order to hear her voice and see her freckles.

Anna and Olaf had become inseparable, even though Olaf spent most of his time in his room. Anna would visit him, often sneaking out of her room, to play with Olaf in his, and most of the nurses and doctors, including Elsa, never bothered to stop her. Whenever Anna and Olaf would see her, they would always ask if she wanted to play a game with them, becoming their _thing_ between the three of them. It was usually Candy Land; they had tried to play Monopoly but it had taken too long and Anna had gotten fed up with it halfway through.

Her time away from he girl had been bittersweet. She knew she needed to stay away but something about the girl always pulled her back in. Perhaps she was just half-heartedly fighting herself and her subconscious on the issue.

She felt like her infatuation with Anna was almost controlling her. She was craving Anna's attention. Which was why tonight she had walked in, waved quickly to the massive security guard Oaken, spent only a few minutes checking on the lower levels before leaving one of the nurses in charge, and had made her way quickly to the elevator, informing the nurses to let her know if anything serious happened.

There were other doctors there anyway. And while she knew she wasn't doing her job, she found she didn't really care.

She also found that she couldn't move towards Anna's room. Nights of restless slumber had only left her with nightmare of what could happen, of what probably would happen.

So, instead, she had plunked herself in the empty swivel chair next to the elevators with her book and a coffee. Therefore, if anyone walked by, she could pretend to be doing something.

But no one besides a few nurses had walked by and that had been at least twenty minutes ago.

Elsa huffed as she turned her head away from the window, letting it fall against the desk with a dull thud. Her body was exhausted, her mind burnt, and she found that she still had a few hours left when she glanced at the clock before she could curl up in her bed and convince her body to fall asleep. Maybe she would be so tired that she would sleep without interruption.

Elsa hit her head lightly against the desk again, only enough to leave a small red mark on her forehead. She stopped herself from repeating the action for a third time as she felt her small headache start to throb steadily with more vigor.

The rain had slowed down to a light sprinkle and the thunder sounded further and further away every time it made its presence known.

And that was when she heard it.

A soft, low voice, words sung so quietly that she couldn't make out what the person – definitely female – was saying. Elsa got up from her slouched position and made her way down the hall. The voice became clearer as she got closer.

Her breath caught in her throat when she stopped outside on Anna's room.

Her voice was low, rich, captivating. Elsa wondered if anyone else heard her singing, but the hallway was empty and Anna's door was the only one with light under it. Elsa held her breath as she continued to listen, the light patter of rain mixing with the melodic voice of her patient.

_Holy shit._

Warmth spread over her chest and dropped down into her stomach, twisting and curling as it grew stronger. Elsa was almost tempted to press her ear against the wood of the door.

Almost.

Instead, she did something she would've never expected from her.

She knocked, knuckles tapping against the door lightly like her head before on the desk. The voice immediately stopped and Elsa felt like banging her head against the desk again, only harder.

Footsteps were heard from behind the door and Elsa quickly straightened herself, brushing back her hair with both hands and trying to quell the burning feeling in her head and between her legs.

The doors opened slowly and a pair of blue eyes poked out from between the slit. Once Elsa's icy eyes met Anna's, however, the door was swung open, revealing a smiling, yet surprised, redhead. Elsa found that her expression matched the girl's when she noticed the paint smeared across Anna's face and hands.

"Oh! Hi Elsa."

Elsa cleared her throat, clasping her shaking hands in front of her. "Hi." She found herself grow more nervous as Anna watched her with curious eyes. There was a slightly awkward silence between them and Elsa couldn't stop her eyes from roaming. She took in Anna's shorts (more specifically her freckled legs), her bare arms (also covered in smears of paint), stopping slightly at her collarbones before meeting Anna's eyes once again. Elsa blushed and cleared her throat again when she realized Anna had been watching her.

"Do you need anything? I mean, it's late and I didn't really expect anyone to be knocking on my door tonight. Not that I don't want you knocking on my door! You're always welcome to knock on my door whenever you want. I mean, you are a doctor so it is your job to check on your patients but I just didn't expect you to do that tonight. Aaaand I'm rambling again."

Anna stopped then, eyes trained on her feet while she tapped her knuckled together lightly. Elsa only smiled at the girl in front of her, her own awkwardness forgotten.

"I heard you singing." Anna looked up then, her face a mixture of embarrassment and horror.

"Oh God, I didn't mean to be that loud, I swear! I'm sorry you had to hear my awful voice."

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "Awful?" She kept her eyes on Anna. "I thought you were quite good. You very talented."

Anna gave a small laugh, tucking her hair (or lack thereof) behind her ear and it was only then that Elsa realized she had a small stripe of white hair mixed with in with the red.

"Really?" She looked at Elsa shyly, a small smile gracing her lips, the lips that had been torturing Elsa for the past three weeks.

Elsa nodded. "Really." A comfortable silence fell over the two girls and Elsa tried to forget about the thin layer of tension around Anna, something that had been slowly building throughout her time spent at the hospital, something that Elsa still hoped would start to decrease one day.

It was slow, and that gave Elsa hope that it wouldn't happen for quite a while. It made her believe that Anna could make it out. But then again, things tend to take a turn for the worst quickly and irreversibly. And this was the exact reason why Elsa regretted knocking on the door.

"Elsa?" She was thrown back into reality and her eyes met a concerned Anna, who had gotten a hell of a lot closer in the time Elsa had spaced out. She shook her head.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

"About what?" Ah, always curious.

_Oh I was just thinking about how you might die and how I really want to kiss you right now but I can't because I can't deal with the fact that you might be taken from me so I have to close myself off from you like I do from the rest of the world and how I can't tell you everything because I made a promise to your brother that I wouldn't. _

Instead, she answered the question with another question.

"Why are you covered in paint?" Anna glances down at her hands. She blushed furiously.

"Oh this?" she said, nodding towards her hands, "I was just painting."

Elsa rolled her eyes at the obviousness of the statement. Still, she couldn't help but be impressed and that _fucking_ warmth came back into her chest.

"Do you want to see?" Anna asked, rubbing her neck and running a hand through her hair. Elsa just nodded and smiled. Apparently that was enough for Anna because she grabbed the blonde women's hand, pulling her into her room.

Elsa had been in Anna's room many times and while it wasn't covered in posters of adorable animals, it was certainly not bare. Pictures of her brother and her, as well as Anna with many of her friends, covered the walls and dresser. Some pictures, mostly painted but some drawn with pencil, covered the remaining areas. It never even crossed Elsa's mind that Anna had made them herself.

She let Anna lead her over to the corner of the room where she had set up an easel and paints were scattered on the ground as well as brushes and scrunched up napkins splattered with paint.

"Don't worry about the mess. I always clean up." Elsa barely heard her. She was pretty sure her mouth was hanging open.

Before her was what she could only describe as a masterpiece, yet she felt like that word couldn't sum up how amazing it actually was. Snow-capped mountains lined the back of the canvas in front of a soft purple and blue sky covered sparsely with thin, white clouds. Pine trees, also with a liberal amount of snow on their branches, stood proudly before a frozen lake. Snow covered the ground and a reindeer stood in the middle of the picture, gazing up at the sky, white in front of his face as he breathed in the cold air.

"Wow," Elsa breathed.

"Do you like it? I admit, it's not my best work. I usually work off of a picture but I didn't have one so I had to go off of my memory." Elsa tore her eyes away from the painting, staring at her incredulously.

"Are you kidding? This is amazing!"

"Really?"

"Really," Elsa repeated, turning back to the winter scene. The pair stood there for a few minutes before Elsa turned away and walked to the nearest painting hanging on the wall. This one was of a huge, single tree and Elsa couldn't help but notice the incredible detail of the bark.

"I'm assuming you painted all of these." Anna nodded and added a "yes" when Elsa kept her eyes on the painting.

"You're very talented. Again." Anna blushed again and Elsa turned to see her red face, thinking that that was the only thing more beautiful than the paintings.

"Thanks," Anna said quietly. "I use to just draw and doodle for fun but when I was diagnosed back in college I kinda took it up as a full-time hobby." She walked up beside Elsa and stood close to her. She lightly touched the tree painting.

"I had to stop school for a while. Sometimes, I would sit in the woods for hours and sketch pictures of trees. I turned a few of them into paintings, like this one. I found the woods to be peaceful, a place I could get away from everything." Suddenly, the bubbly redhead that Elsa had become familiar with for the past three weeks was gone, replaced with a calm, almost melancholy girl, much too young to be suffering.

Elsa's hand twitched towards the girl's but she held back. Anna continued after a minute of silence.

"You see, I didn't really have a lot to do with school once shit hit the fan. I couldn't run track like I had in high school and toward the end of my freshman year I had to stop. So I decided to put my time into something else."

"You ran track?" Anna laughed, eyes twinkling with humor instead of with the sadness they had a few moments before.

"I was never good at it. I tried hurdles at first but I was too clumsy. Even when I was just running I would sometimes trip and fall. Totally embarrassing! My high school coach told me that I should stop before I hurt myself but I really did love it. Hans was so surprised when I told him I made the track team at my college." Elsa found herself laughing along.

"What did you go for?"

"Psychology. But I had to go back an extra year to finish all of my credits. No big deal, I'm done now. Obviously, you must have majored in biology or something."

Elsa nodded. "I was always interested in science. I was never the athletic type. I preferred to stay inside and read. I would find giant books all about the human body or the solar system and just sit there for hours."

Anna giggled. "Nerd."

Elsa pouted playfully. "I never had anything else better to do. The only other thing I did was study and focus on my classes. I was a part of the choir at my high school though." She added the last part softly, twirling the end of her braid between her fingers.

"You sing too?"

Elsa nodded. "I haven't sung in years and you're so much better than I am."

Anna waved her off. "Nah, I sure you're amazing. Oh! We should totally sing together sometime!" Elsa found herself smiling.

"Perhaps."

"What made you want to go into medicine?" Elsa froze. "I mean," Anna continued, "if you were interested in all science, then why did you chose this field?"

Elsa frowned and bit her lip.

_Because I couldn't save them. _

She had been able to save so many people, even a stupid fish, but she had let her parents die. She supposed she had chosen this life, so full of the dark tension around most of the people she cared for. The only reason she could think of was that she had wanted to redeem herself. She had wanted to make the guilt stop by helping others in a way she couldn't help her parents.

Of course, she only succeeded in making everything worse for herself. Especially now.

"Uh…" she started, lost for words while she stared at the ground. Her arms twisted around her stomach. She felt a warm hand on her arm and she turned her head to Anna's understanding expression.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hit a sensitive spot. You don't have to answer that. Let's just forget I said anything."

Elsa smiled lightly. "Thank you."

The conversation stopped after that and Elsa told herself that she needed to leave, that she desperately needed to go return to her position staring out the window before all of her strength to go completely dissolved. The two stood in the middle of the room, both staring at their feet while occasionally glancing up at the other. Tension hung in the air and Elsa was glad that it was caused mostly by her presence and not something else.

"So," Anna's voice echoed throughout the room, "why are you here so late? Shouldn't you be sleeping in your own bed instead of falling asleep on your feet?"

Elsa held back a laugh. She wouldn't be asleep even if she was in her bed. She probably wouldn't be able to sleep later either, not with everything that had just happened bouncing around in her overactive mind. She just rolled the end of her braid in her long fingers.

"I'm taking over for one of the other doctors. He's on vacation with his girlfriend. I think he's going to propose or something."

"Awww, that's adorable." Elsa rolled her eyes.

"So now it's your turn to answer a question. Why are you up so late?"

Anna shrugged. "I wasn't tired."

"You should be getting an appropriate amount sleep each night, Anna," Elsa frowned, her authoritative voice in use." Anna plopped down onto her bed, springs creaking rather loudly.

"Oh relax. I have plenty of time to sleep during the day. You, on the other hand, have to work in the morning. I am confined to this bed." As she said this, she opened one of her drawers, pulling out a bar of chocolate.

"You never seem to stay in it. And I'm off tomorrow so I'll have ample amounts of time to catch up on my sleep." Something flashed across Anna's face at her words. Sadness? Disappointment? Either way, it was gone and replaced with a huge yawn.

"You should get some sleep." Anna just nodded and rubbed her eyes, careful to avoid moving the tubes in her nose. Once she lowered her hands from her face she glanced at her hands and grimaced.

"I guess I should clean up first. But first," Anna broke the bar in half, offering one piece to Elsa.

"You shouldn't eat chocolate this late at night." Anna waved her off and continued to hold out the piece.

"You also shouldn't eat as much chocolate as you do. It's not very healthy," Elsa continued. She had learned that Hans (who would come in every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday while constantly calling in between) always brought Anna chocolate, making sure she had an endless supply.

"Well if you don't want me to eat more chocolate, you better take this piece before I eat it too." Elsa sighed and shook her head. She reached out, taking the piece from Anna, because she could never really resist chocolate, and, thankfully, she had managed to hide her gasp when their fingers brushed.

They had been so warm.

Anna stood up and stretched, making her way towards the bathroom in front of her bed with her tank in hand. Elsa quickly collected herself.

"Uh…goodnight Anna." She said her goodbyes in return and Elsa made her way to the door, shutting it gently as she heard water running from the bathroom.

Once the door was closed, Elsa checked to make sure the hallway was empty before sliding down to the floor, leaning against the door as she curled up with the chocolate melting only slightly in her cold grasp.

_I have it bad._

She put her head on her knees and couldn't help but laugh as the tightness in her chest and throat came back at full force.

* * *

**So Elsa's crushin' pretty hard, but as I wrote this chapter, I couldn't help but feel that she's falling too fast? I mean, she definitely doesn't love her yet, but she definitely likes her. I don't know, I've liked plenty of people and the speeds at which I developed feeling for them varied; some were really slow and others, it was like love at first sight. I just feel like Anna has a personality that would bring people out of their shell, even if that person has tried to hide themselves from others for their entire life. Plus, Elsa is desperate to find love, even though she constantly tells herself she doesn't need anyone and stays away from people. And the song that Anna is singing is called The Worry List by Blue October, but you can really choose whatever song you want.**


	5. All Fall Down

**So it has been a month (or close enough) since I last updated this...or even worked on this. Oops. I didn't forget about this, no! It's just that school had been a mass of blurry chaos and I've been trying to finish _Extracurricular Activities _before anything else because that is going to be over soon and I wanted to get one of my chapter fics out of the way. Honestly, I'm having a lot more fun writing that one, so that could have also contributed to the reason why I haven't written this in a while.**

**It's also hard to switch from random, funny smut into something thats suppose to be taken seriously. I just haven't been in the serious mood recently and I'm blaming that mostly on school. But I have one final and a week left, so hopefully the next update won't been in a month!**

**Anyway, enjoy! ****  
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Chapter 5: All Fall Down

Elsa turned away. Away from the shattered being of the woman in front of her. Away from the inevitable truth. Away from her fears. Maybe even away from herself.

She was her biggest enemy, her greatest fear.

Her second greatest fear: telling a mother that the odds of her child living were slim to none. She hated watching people die, feeling them die, but she could never imagine what it must be like to lose a part of you - to have that bond severed by the sharp blade of death.

She had nothing left to say, so she had left them. She didn't want her mask to crack. Their mask was already broken. Olaf's mother's sobs echoed through the hallway. Elsa could hear her trying to reel them in, but she sounded like she was being suffocated.

She left them with no words of comfort, no smile, nothing. It wouldn't do anything. She couldn't do anything but wait. That was all she ever did; just sit around waiting for her next task.

She made her way back into his room. Tiny pumpkins were still hanging from the ceiling and paper skeletons were still clinging desperately to the walls, peeling off in multiple places. She would need to take them down soon, since they no longer seemed fitting, but she could wait. Olaf loved decorations, and apparently so did Anna since she had eagerly helped him make them. Maybe he would still be around to hang snowflakes; if Anna could paint a winter scene to look like an actual photograph then she could do wonders with a paper snowflake.

Elsa entered the room quietly and could still hear the choked sounds from his mother. She didn't want to disturb Anna, who was reading to the small boy, so weak and tired looking, with various voices to indicate a change in character. Olaf, despite how absolutely horrid he looked, still had a goofy smile on his face making him look ridiculous.

He looked happy, as if he didn't understand what was happening to him, and the thought made Elsa was to cry - out of happiness or sadness she didn't know.

Anna was halfway through one of the Dr. Seuss books that filled the small bookshelf in the corner of the room when Elsa put a hand on her shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat as she continued to stand near the bed. The cloud around Olaf, which was thick, overpowered all of her senses. She hid it well, as she always had.

"Come on Anna, I think he's heard that book enough for the past few days," Elsa said softly. Anna gave her a shy smile, blushing slightly.

"It's one of his favorites," she replied with Olaf giving a quiet affirmation to her statement.

"Or you mean it's one of your favorites." Anna blushed furiously, muttering something about how Dr. Seuss in like Stephen King in some odd way, and shoved the book back into its proper place.

"Aw Anna, do you have to go? We didn't finish the story," Olaf whined, snuggling closer to his stuffed bunny. Anna just ruffled his head, or rather her beanie that was covering it. She snatched it off and stuffed it on her head, covering her thinning hair.

"Anna has to rest and so do you." Olaf nodded slowly while pouting, yet his eyes were betraying him and starting to droop with fatigue. "Do you want your parents to come in?" He nodded again and almost as if it was staged, his mother and father, now slightly more composed, took Anna's position besides Olaf's bed.

Elsa bid them goodbye and Anna waved to the trio, which the three returned, grim smiles on all faces expect Olaf and Anna. Elsa had quickly learned that Anna denied even the most obvious matters.

That was why Anna was smiling as the pair walked slowly to her room, even though Anna had insisted that Elsa didn't need too and that she could find her own way back. Elsa knew she wouldn't get lost or anything (hopefully at least since Anna had been here for close to two months now) but she simply wanted to be in her company, something she had questioned the reason to for many nights but was still answerless.

They walked in silence down the halls. The only sound was the slight squeak of the wheels on the bottom of Anna's oxygen tank. A few nurses nodded their heads in their direction, including Belle who raised her eyebrows and gave her a knowing look, to which Elsa glared in return. As they passed the brunette, Elsa couldn't help but glance at the girl besides her, looking at the bandage on her arm from her latest treatment.

Elsa cleared her throat, grasping her hands together in front of her. "So, how are you feeling, Anna?"

The redhead shrugged with a small grin. "I was pretty tired yesterday and Hans stopped by, but I kinda mostly missed him because I was asleep."

"Good. You shouldn't stress yourself too much."

"I could say the same to you. From what I hear, you never take any breaks around here," Anna laughed. It soon turned choked and raspy and Anna stopped, covering her mouth with a fist as she coughed, face turning a light shade of red.

Elsa's eyes widened and she grabbed onto the girl's arm. "Anna!" The redhead pushed her hands off and waved her away, shaking her head while she cleared her throat.

"I'm fine Elsa." Her voice was hoarse and her breathing was slightly ragged. The blonde doctor narrowed her eyes.

"Are you sure? Because you don't sound fine. This is why you need proper rest, especially right after your treatments."

"Elsa, relax. I was just coughing." They started to walk again, Elsa keeping their pace at a slow crawl. She was mildly surprised that Anna didn't run ahead of her.

"Are you absolutely sure, Anna?"

She rolled her eyes, voice slightly annoyed. "Yes, now stop worrying about me. Please. I'm not going to break." Elsa bit her lip and nodded, opening the door to Anna's room.

Anna sighed as she sat on her bed and patted the space besides her. Elsa hesitated and almost chose the seat besides the bed, but opted to sit next to the redhead because she didn't want to hurt Anna in any way. She could suffer hurting herself before that.

"I'm sorry Elsa," Anna started, taking off her hat and placing it on her lap so she could pick at the threads. "It's just that I don't like when people worry. It's only going to make this worst for everyone."

Elsa nodded and stayed quiet, letting Anna continue her thought. She signed heavily this time, exhaling shakily as if she was fighting off another coughing fit.

"Hans always worries too much. Whenever he comes to visit I can see it on his face." She paused and looked at a picture of the table. Hans had his arms wrapped around Anna, who had long hair done in twin braids. Anna picked it up.

"He's the only family I have left. Well, the only close family." Her voice was thick and Elsa felt an almost unbearable urge to hold her hand and hug her close.

"What do you mean, Anna?" Elsa asked, turning slightly towards the girl so she could face her more easily. Anna sniffed and Elsa's eyes immediately widened. "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to."

Anna shook her head, offering the blonde a small smile. "No, I feel like I can trust you. And I never really get to talk about this, so it will feel nice to get this off of my chest." She paused again, looking around the room after placing the picture back on the table.

"Only a few people know about this, obviously Hans being one of them since he was involved too. My family had a strong bond before, when I was a child. I remember Hans and I would play outside together and build snow forts and snowmen with my parents. I think I was six, maybe seven, when my dad's father died. I don't really remember how he died, but I remember being at the hospital when it happened.

"My dad always used to work, at insane levels for long periods of time, but he would always find time for us. When his dad died, it was like he completely forgot about us." She took a deep breath and Elsa could see tears form at the corners of her eyes.

"He would always lock me and Hans out of his study, telling us that he was too busy to do anything. We would always wait a few hours before going back, but it was always the same story. So, we just tried again the next day."

Tears were starting to fall down Anna's face, dripping down her chin onto her lap. Elsa could see her starting to shake and she quickly grabbed her hand, squeezing it firmly and ignoring everything else but the girl in front of her.

"You really don't have to tell me, Anna, if it's too much." Anna just wiped her eyes with her free hand and continued. Elsa felt warmth spread through her chest at the fact that Anna was letting her hear all of this, no matter how horrid it was.

"He became an alcoholic. I think I was in the sixth grade when I first saw him drunk. He had stumbled home at two in the morning and my mom had waited up for him. I woke up because I heard screaming but I didn't get to see anything because Hans pushed me back into my room." She took another shaky breath.

"This went on for a few years. He would be out late all weekend and most weeknights. Whenever he was home, he would lock himself in his study. He would always fight with my mother and Hans would take me out to a movie or for ice cream so I wouldn't be around to see it."

Elsa felt her own eyes burn at Anna's story and suddenly, dark, cloudy hatred for Anna's father welled up inside her chest. Her parents had always been around, and she couldn't even imagine being shut out from her own father. Her gratitude for Hans also rose immensely, and the shell he had built around himself was slowly starting to crack as his sister's fell away as well.

"I was seventeen, a junior in high school, when my mom died," Anna mumbled, her voice thick and rough. She nibbled on her lip and gripped Elsa's hand tight in both of hers, as if it would pull her away from her memories if they got too bad. "She went out looking for my father because he wasn't back yet and it was well past three in the morning. That was the latest he's even been out before."

She took a deep breath and Elsa sat next to her, not really sure of what to do or what to say. She had never been good at comfort – never good at giving it and never good at receiving it.

Anna started again and by this time her entire body was shaking. She ran a hand through her hair and Elsa tried not to stare at the copious amounts of strands that came back with her hand. Anna didn't seem to notice, so Elsa turned her attention back to the red-haired girl.

"It was raining that night," Anna said. Her voice was so low that Elsa had to lean in closer, their shoulders touching. Anna leaned in closer to her and the blonde was surprised that she didn't flinch back. "She was hit by a drunk driver." She gave a hollow laugh that echoed through the room.

"Ironic, isn't it? She died in the hospital three days later. My dad left three days after that." She continued to laugh until it became choked in her throat. Once the first sob escaped her throat, Elsa grabbed her and pulled her close to her body, wrapping her arms protectively around her, as if she could protect her from her past and make her forget.

Her body shook in her arms and Elsa could feel wetness seep through her shirt as the girl buried her face in her neck. Elsa gripped the back of her head, running her hands lightly through her hair, twisting the white strand, as she rocked her back and forth.

"Oh, Anna. I'm so sorry," Elsa whispered and Anna sobbed harder, pushing herself into the blonde as if she were trying to merge them into one. As she held the crying redhead, she felt something click inside her chest, something she couldn't – or wouldn't - identify. It only grew stronger the longer she held Anna and as time when on, she found that she didn't want to let her go.

"It's okay Anna. I've got you," Elsa whispered in her hair, the thinning strands tickling her face and the scent of purely Anna filling her nose. The cries of the girl slowed down into the occasional hiccup but the two stayed in their position, Anna practically on Elsa's lap nuzzled into her shoulder.

"I don't know where I would be without Hans," Anna said, her lips rubbing against Elsa's neck. "So many people have helped me, but he's been through everything with me. I don't know what I would do if he wasn't here." She paused and raised her head so she was looking directly into Elsa's eyes, blue meeting blue. "Or you."

Elsa narrowed her eyes a little. "Or me?" Anna nodded and separated herself a little more so she could look more at Elsa. Their arms were still loosely wrapped around each other and as they pulled apart, Elsa realized how easier it was to breathe. She still found that she missed Anna's body pressed against her.

"Or you," Anna repeated, voice slightly hoarse, and Elsa felt a smile spread across her face. She didn't know how long she looked at Anna but the redhead eventually moved her head away and Elsa felt a strange sense of loss. She quickly brushed it aside.

"I think that's enough sad shit for one day," Anna said, putting a smile on her face while wiping her eyes. Elsa almost reached out a hand to dry Anna's tears herself but she held herself back. As she looked at the redhead, she marveled at how quickly she could change her mood. Elsa guessed that it was some safety mechanism. "Let's focus on better things."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

Anna hummed, moving away from Elsa completely so she could fully sit on the bed with her legs crosses. Elsa moved back a bit, putting one of her legs on the bed as she turned to look at the younger girl. Anna leaned back on her arms, gazing at the blonde with squinted eyes, as if she was examining her.

"I don't know," Anna said lazily, "What's your favorite color?"

Elsa laughed. "That's so random!"

Anna grinned, leaning with her elbows on her knees. Her eyes were still red and bloodshot but she smile made her face look like a beautiful contradiction. "You didn't answer the question," she said.

Elsa sighed and chuckled quietly to herself. "It's blue."

"Mine's green." She looked at Elsa expectantly. The blonde just gave her a blank stare.

"What?"

"Now it's your turn to ask a question. Have you never carried on a common conversation before? This can't be completely one-sided," Anna joked, shoulders moving up and down.

"Fine. What's your favorite…animal?"

"Oh! I love sloths!" Elsa quirked an eyebrow and the right side of her mouth turned up. She leaned back on her right hand.

"Why sloths?" Anna gawked.

"They're, like, the cutest things ever!" Anna squealed, coughing a little at the end and Elsa tried not to grimace.

Elsa shrugged. "I thing I like cats better."

Anna giggled. "Lame."

The blonde huffed and sat up straighter so she could cross her arms. She stuck her nose up playfully in the air. "Whatever. Next question."

Anna put a finger to her lips and Elsa couldn't help but stare at how soft they looked. She found herself leaning in slightly before Anna's voice broke her out of her trance. "Favorite season."

Elsa pursed her lips. "That's a hard one. I like fall but…" she paused and glanced over at the winter scene hung up in the corner of the room, "…I think I like winter just a bit more."

Anna nodded and followed her line of vision. "I used to like winter the most, especially the hot chocolate, but I think spring is better now. I make me feel…reborn, I think."

There was a small break in their conversation and Elsa could only focus on the steady breathing of the girl besides her and the slight squeak in the bed frame as the girl resettled herself. Chatter could be heard from the nurses, visitors, and patients outside but Elsa could only focus on Anna.

"Sooo," Anna said, "what's your favorite food?"

"I thought it was my turn to make up a question." Elsa laughed when Anna's face started to show the slightest tint of red.

"Well, you were to busy staring at my face so I though I would the opportunity to steal your question." This time, Elsa felt her face become inflamed and she tried to contain her embarrassment.

"Uhh…" she coughed as she rubbed her neck, "I d-don't think I have one."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Everyone has one. For example, my favorite food is chocolate."

"Chocolate is not real food, Anna," Elsa said matter-of-factly.

"Do you chew it? Do you swallow it?" Anna asked with a serious face.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Well, yes but -" Anna cut her off.

"If you eat it, then it's a real food."

Elsa couldn't help but glare at the girl while fighting off a smile. "That's not what I meant."

Anna shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You're argument is invalid. You can't go bashing chocolate when I know, for a fact I might add, that you have your very own secret stash of chocolate."

Elsa's jaw unhinged and she felt another blush creep onto her pale face. "And who told you that?"

"Belle," Anna said nonchalantly as she leaned back onto her pillows. "She said that some guy named Kristopher or something, who apparently is your roommate, told her all about your little secret." Anna raised her eyebrows and smirked at Elsa, who was still blushing furiously for no real reason.

"His name is Kristoff," Elsa mumbled, looking down at the ground away from Anna's piercing gaze.

"So, is he your boyfriend?" Anna inquired. Elsa felt her eyes go wide in their sockets and she shook her head.

"No, no, no, he's like a brother to me. It's a completely platonic relationship. And besides," Elsa added, her voice growing more quiet with each word, "I don't really like guys. They're, uh, not my type."

Anna smiled and Elsa though she saw a flash of relief cross her face. "That's okay. I don't like guys either." With that sentence, Elsa felt her heart soar and her stomach flip, but she bit her lip and contained herself. Just because there was one less obstacle between her and Anna didn't mean she would actually try to cross the finish line. At least, that's what she told herself.

"Oh…good." Elsa said, inwardly grimacing at herself. Before one of them could say anything else, the pager at Elsa's hip went off and the blonde almost sighed with relief.

"I'm sorry. I, uh, have to go…work. I have to work," Elsa sputtered and Anna nodded quickly, tucking an invisible strand behind her ear.

"Yeah, go save some lives Doctor Arendelle." Elsa gave her a smile, trying to hide her trembling lips behind fake happiness.

"I'll try," she whispered before walking out of the room, leaving Anna sitting by herself on her bed.

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The wine was too bitter for her preferred taste but she drank it all in one go anyway. Then she filled her glass again and repeated the same process. After the third glass the wine became more bearable and she started to drink it slower, sipping the liquid and letting it flood her mouth before swallowing.

The lights were out except for a small table lamp in the living room that caused shadows to curl around Elsa and haunt her endlessly as she sat alone at her kitchen table. The light still wasn't enough for her to see clearly, but she found her impaired vision to be somewhat comforting.

Sven laid at her feet, covering her cold toes with his warm, furry body. Elsa swirled the red liquid around in her glass, leaning a heavy head on her hand. Strips of light fell on the carpeted floor from the streetlights outside. The oven clock read 1:37 in low blue lights. Kristoff had gone to bed a few hours ago and Elsa hadn't even attempted to go to bed and close her eyes.

Sven whined, lifting his head and thumping his tail against the ground when the floorboards creaked to Elsa's right. Her blonde roommate stood there in a twisted white t-shirts and wrinkled boxers. His shaggy hair was standing up, ruffled in many places, and his eyes were still half closed. He strained his eyes when he walked into the kitchen.

"Elsa? What are you still doing up?" Elsa shrugged and took a large gulp of her wine, filling it up after she emptied her cup. Her head was starting to become a little fuzzy. "Did you even go to bed?" Elsa shook her head.

"I wanted a drink," Elsa said simply, lifting her glass in the blonde's direction. "Why are you up?"

"For the same reason you are, but I usually just get water. However," he said with a small grin, "I think I could use something else." He opened the fridge, the sudden light causing him to squint, and grabbed a can of beer, opening the top with one flick of the tab.

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to Sven snore at their feet and the sound of distant cars speed along the roads. "Do you have work tomorrow?"

Elsa nodded her head. "But thankfully I go in later."

"I go in late tomorrow too," Kristoff said as he took a sip of his beer. Silence engulfed the two again and the ringing in Elsa's ears almost made her want to scream.

"So how's Anna doing?" Kristoff asked suddenly. Elsa frowned, chest clenching at the thought of the redhead.

"She's…alright," Elsa said, her voice hoarse.

"That's good to know," Kristoff responded, looking around the room uncomfortably. All of a sudden, Elsa dropped her head onto the table with her arm covering her messy bun, groaning with slight pain as her forehead hit the wood. Or maybe she was groaning because of the ache in the back of her throat and the heaviness she felt in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm so stupid," Elsa mumbled, her voice distorted and barely audible from her position. She couldn't see Kristoff (then again, she couldn't see him very well to begin with due to the lack of proper lighting) but she could picture that stupid smile on his face as he responded.

"You're in love." The words were so simple, like they rolled off of his tongue, but Elsa choked and sat up quickly when she heard them. Her face was red, her eyes wide, and her mouth open. She gawked at him and he only grinned as he took a sip.

"W-what?"

"You're in love," he repeated, shrugged his shoulders.

"And are you an expert now?" Elsa said, voice rising with every word. She forced herself to take a deep breath but her heart was beating so fast she couldn't hear her own thoughts.

Kristoff pouted, frowning at the ceiling before looking back as Elsa. His shoulders slumped for a second before he straightened himself out with newfound confidence. "No, but I have a few friends who are." Elsa raised an eyebrow, trying to conceal her panic and embarrassment.

"Belle tells me she's the only girl you see willingly." Elsa was at a loss at that so she just sat in her seat quietly picking at her sweatpants. She heard the scraping of a chair as Kristoff got up but she quickly made her way to the window, staying as far away as she could from her bulky, blonde friend.

"What do I know about love, Kristoff?" She heard him walk up behind her and wrap an arm around her shoulders. She didn't fight him off.

"More than you think you do," he whispered. "You've never let many people in, that's true. But you let me in and you're letting Anna in. That's got to mean something." He paused and the two stared out of the window. Elsa touched the glass, her fingers unable to cause any fog to appear while Kristoff's hand left a large print of his palm and fingers.

"I think," Kristoff started again, "people always have the ability to love, but some people let it build up inside of them. And then one day, the dam explodes and it comes rushing out and all you can do is try not to drown."

Elsa smiled a little at this, turning to Kristoff. "I think you are a love expert. Maybe your friends are rubbing off on you," she said, poking him in the sides, feeling slightly better after his small speech. She could still feel it however - deep down in her chest. But something stronger was covering it, acting like a veil so she couldn't see how ugly the horrible feeling actually was.

"I also think," Elsa continued, "that we should go to bed." Kristoff nodded and removed his arm from her shoulder, grabbing his empty can of beer before heading into the kitchen. He grabbed the wine bottle, now half empty, and held it up to his face.

"Fuck, we got this yesterday." Elsa waved him off.

"Goodnight Kris." He mumbled a goodnight in return and Elsa left him alone in the kitchen. She slipped into bed and for the first night in a long time she fell asleep with a smile on her face, her mind playing Anna's voice over and over in her head.

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**So a little backstory on Anna, deteriorating Olaf, a little fluff between Elsa and Anna as well and Elsa and Kristoff, the love guru (Kristoff) lecturing Elsa about love (sorta), and Elsa finally not kicking herself over liking Anna for once (and quite possibly the last). **

**I feel like this chapter isn't very strong and I feel like there are plenty mistakes in here... and not just grammar mistakes. I can't help but feel like this chapter strays a little from their canon personalities, but I never promised myself that I could totally keep them in character all the time. That is why I debated whether or not to even start my own fics again, because on some levels I feel like I'm destroying the characters created in the movie, but on another hand, I feel like the situations the characters face in these stories will change them slightly because they are faced with different issues and choices.**

***shrugs* I dunno man, but I wanted to get this chapter out before time slipped further from my grasp. Let me know if there are any changes you feel like I should make. Feel free to leave a review, but I'm not forcing you too (but it is nice lol)**


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